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“What if electricity was rationed to just one hour per person per day?”
This challenge forces us to rethink how workspaces function when power is no longer a given but a scarce resource. Inspired by real-world events like California's blackouts and India's coal shortages, we explore how design can adapt when energy becomes precious. Beyond efficiency, this scenario raises deeper questions about equity, human connection, and our relationship with technology in a world of limited resources.
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CONSTRAINT
Let’s start by exploring the potential impacts and adaptation required for the CORE CONTRAINT i.e.
WHAT IF?
Using provocative questions to explore the potential impacts and adaptations required
ANALYSIS
COLLECTING & MAPPING
SIGNALS INTO TRENDS
We collected, mapped, and analyzed signals from history and current trends in one streamlined process.
By examining historical events, technological advancements, environmental changes, and socio-political shifts together, we efficiently identified key patterns and trends without dividing the steps.
This integrated approach ensured a comprehensive and cohesive analysis.
STEEP.
We then used the STEEP model to categorize and analyze the identified trends and signals.
This model helps in understanding the broader context and the interdependencies between different factors.
Future Wheel.
With the trends and their STEEP analysis in place, we developed a Future Wheel to explore the potential impacts and ripple effects of the central constraint (limited electricity).
This visual tool helped us understand the cascading effects and the broader implications of the scenario.
EXPLORATIONS
In envisioning a future with only one hour of electricity per person per day, we focused on workspaces for their critical role in productivity and innovation.
WORKSPACES IN 2060.
WHY WORKSPACES ?
Productivity Hubs: Workspaces are crucial for productivity and innovation.
Pressure Points: Workspaces need reimagining to function efficiently with limited electricity.
Cultural Identity: They reflect organizational culture and shape employee interactions.
Adaptability: Solutions here can be scaled across various sectors.
WHY 2060 ?
Strategic Horizon: 35 years allow for significant, plausible systemic shifts.
Climate Goals: Aligns with long-term climate policy milestones.
Trend Acceleration: Current trends like climate change and digital surveillance will have compounded effects.
Technological Maturity: Emerging technologies will be widely adopted by then.
FORESIGHTING
Axis of Uncertainty.
To understand the various dimensions of uncertainty related to our scenario, we explored different axes:
Back Casting.
This approach worked backwards from the 2060 vision to outline key steps and shifts needed to get there.
It ensured the final concept, EcoPods, was both imaginative and rooted in real-world trends and technological possibilities.
Future Cone.
The future cone mapped out probable, plausible, and preposterous futures emerging from electricity scarcity.
It helped explore a range of scenarios—grounded in present-day signals—to envision how society and workspaces might evolve under extreme energy constraints.
CONCEPTS
